Household appliance



Nov. 3, 1936. fc. P. HENRY ET'AL 2,059,347

' HOUSEHOLD APPLIANC Filled May 21, 1935 Patented Nov. 3, 1936 PATENT OFFICE HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE Charles I. Henry and Lloyd D. Batman, Oakland, Calif.

Application May 21, 1935, Serial No. 22,592

2 Claims.

This invention relates to household appliances and particularly to the addition, to a household tool, having a handle thereon, of markings which permit the handle to be useful in measuring and evaluating distances.

It is an object of the invention to provide a broom handle, or the handle of a similar tool, with graduations, and identifying indicia therefor, which will enable the user to determine measurements in the absence of regular measuring' devices.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and eicient indicator for use with the device described above.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a conventional household broom incorporating the improvements of the invention; portions of the View being omitted to shorten it.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the indicator.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional View of the indicator. The plane of section is indicated by the line 3--3 of Figure 2.

In detail, the invention comprises providing the handle 4, of the conventional household broom 5, with markings, or indicia, B spaced longitudinally therealong at one inch intervals. These markings extend circumferentially around the handle and may be either printed thereon With paint, or any other like substance, or stamped into the handle by means of a die. This latter method is preferably employed. y

slidably mounted on the handle 4 is a sleeve l, which is preferably composed of a transparent material such as Celluloid, and which has an internal bore 8 slightly larger than the diameter of the handle. As will be seen, in Figures 2 and 3, diametrically opposed portions, of the periphery of the sleeve, are deformed so as to provide, preferably, four circumferentially spaced nodules 9 projecting into the bore 8 at each end of the sleeve. The diametrical distance between the tops of these nodules is made sufficiently smaller than the diameter of the handle 4 that, when the sleeve is placed upon the handle, its cross sectional shape will be deformed, tending to assume a rectangular formation. In this manner the nodules are resiliently pressed against the periphery of the handle and offer sufficient frictional resistance to movement thereof relative to the handle that the sleeve, when moved to various positions, will maintain its position until it is again deliberately moved.

Means are provided for evaluating units of distance on the handle 4 and means are provided on the sleeve 'I operable in conjunction with the indicia E for evaluating fractional portions of each unit. suitably placed or stamped on the handle are a plurality of numerals II) and the sleeve is provided with an aperture II adapted to register with the numerals. The latter are so placed with respect to the indicia E that When the end I2 of the sleeve is alined with 5 an index, as shown in Figure l, the numeral II, evaluating that index will appear in alinement with the aperture. Thus, in Figure 1, the numeral 42 appearing in the aperture indicates that the end I2 of the sleeve is located 42 inches from the end of the handle.

Printed or stamped on the periphery of the sleeve, in spaced relationship axially thereof, are a plurality of markings I3 provided with suitable identifying numerals I4. Suiiicient of these 15 markings are provided to divide the length of the sleeve into eight equal parts thereby, since the length of the sleeve is one inch, indicating one-eighth inch divisions of a unit.

It will be seen that, if a measurement is taken 20 wherein the edge I2 of the sleeve rests between a pair of indicia 6, the index of the pair closest to the broom end of the handle will be visible through the transparent sleeve and will be alined with, or adjacent to one of the markings I3 so that the user may readily determine, to the fractional part of a unit, the exact distance measured.

What is claimed:

1. A measuring device comprising a cylindrical rod having a plurality of spaced indicia comprising circumferential lines disposed thereon dividing said rod longitudinally into a series of distance units, a plurality of consecutive numerals on said rod disposed adjacent said lines, and a sleeve slidably mounted on said rod having an aperture therein through which said numerals may be viewed, an edge thereof registrable with said lines, and indicia thereon registrable with said lines for indicating fractional parts of sai-d units.

2. A measuring device comprising a cylindrical rod having a plurality of spaced indicia comprising circumferential lines disposed thereon dividing said rod longitudinally into a series of distance units, a plurality of consecutive numerals on said rod disposed adjacent said lines, and a sleeve slidably mounted on said rod having an aperture therein through which said numerals may be viewed, an edge thereof registrable with said lines, and indicia thereon registrable with said lines for indicating fractional parts of said units, said sleeve having an internal diameter greater than that of the rod, and a plurality of protuberances formed in said sleeve and projecting inwardly therefrom to frictionally engage the periphery of said rod.

CHARLES P. HENRY. LLOYD D. BATMAN. 

